Card-receptacle.



No. 686,358. Patented Nov. I2, l90l.

R.- A. simouson.

CARD RECEPTACLE.

(Application filed May 6, 1901.)

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Shem l.

lzo gffi 222 2 2 222 5 No. 686,358. Patented Nov. I2, I901.

R. A. SIMONSON.

CARD RECEPTACLE.

(Application filed May 6. 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet 2.

THE cams PETERS cu. wuoroumo, vusmxnrou. 11cv NITED STATES l PATENT ()FFICE.

ROGER A. SIMONSON, OF BERWYN, ILLINOIS.

CARD-REC EPTACLE.

SPECIFICATIONformiug part of Letters Patent No. 686,358, dated November 12, 1901.

Application filed May 6, 1901.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROGER A. SIMONSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berwyn, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Card-Receptacles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to card-receptacles de signed for use as card-catalogues and the like, more especially of the class wherein the cards are retained in position in the box or tray by means of folding retaining-rods, an example of this form of retaining-rod being set forth in Letters Patent of the United States No. 671,454, issued to me April 9, 1901.

My present invention has for its object the providing of advantageous means for operatin g such retaining-rods, said object being accomplished by the mechanism illustrated ip the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a planview of a card-receptacle embodying my invention Figs.2 and 3 are views thereof in elevation, taken in section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows adjacent to said line, Fig. 2 showing the'leaves of the retainingrod in a spread or open position and Fig. 3 showing said leaves folded. Figs. 4 and 5 are views drawn to greatly-enlarged scale, taken chiefly in vertical section lengthwise through the axis of the folding retaining-rod, Fig. 4 showing the vertical controlling-rod in its highest position-with the leaves of the retaining-rod folded and Fig.5 showing said controllingrod in its lowest position and rotated through an angle of ninety degrees from the position thereof shown in Fig. 4. In Fig. 5 the leaves of the retaining-rod are spread, consequent upon the depressed position of said controlling-rod. Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation of thenpper section of the controlling-rod. V Fig. 7 is a detail view of said upper section, as in Fig. 6, showing the same axially rotated through an angle of ninety degrees from the position shown in Fig. 6. Figs. 8 and 9 are detail sectional views of said upper section of the controlling-rod and adjacent parts, said figures being taken in plan on the lines 8 8 and 9 9, respectively, Fig. 5. Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the operating device adapted to an alternative form of folding retaining-rod. Fig. 11 is a plan SerialNo. 58,954. (No model.)

view of a portion of the folding rod of the type as in Fig. 10, showing the end bearing thereof.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The tray or receptacle comprises the bottom portion a, sides I) b, and front and rear walls 0 and d, respectively. The pintle e is supported in said front and rear walls a and d and forms the hinge or axis of the leaves f f of the card-retaining rod.

At the front of the receptacle the arms 9 g are rigidly secured to the said leaves f and are operated to fold and spread said leaves by means of the links hh, said links being pivotally connected at one extremity to the free extremities of the said arms g. The extremities of the links 71. opposite to the arms 9 are pivotally secured to the lower section or length t of the controlling-rod by means of the pin j. Said section tis designed to travel in the vertically-arranged chamber is, located in the front wall a of'the receptacle. The slot m, which extends from said chamber k to the rear surface of the front wall 0, accommodates the rearwardly-projecting pin j, above described. The parts are so related that the vertical travel of the lower section 7; of the controlling-rod, acting through the agency of the pin j, links h h, and arms 9 g, results in the operation of the leaves f f of the folding retaining-rod.

The spiral compression-spring n is supported at the lower extremity of the chamber 70 and bears against the pin j of the rod-section t in such a manner as to tend to keep said rod-section i at the uppermost position thereof, at which time the leaves ff will be folded, as shown in Fig. 3.

The upper extremity of the rod-section t' is convex and adapted to fit into the correspondingly concave lower extremity of the upper section or length 0 of said controlling-rod. At the lower extremity also of said rod-section 0 is located a conical portion 19, which may be seated upon the corresponding conical portion q of the preferably metallic socket or thimble r. Said socket r is open at its lower extremity and is arranged vertically in said front wall 0 in such a manner as to communicate with the upper extremity of the chamber lo. Near the upper extremity of said socket, wh ich is open and preferably flush with the upper edge of the front wall a of the receptacle, .is the pin .9, which is fixed in said front wall and extends through said socket a short distance into the interior of the latter. The said upper section 0 of the controlling-rod terminates at its upper extremity in the milled head t, which is designed to be grasped by the operator. The main body of the said rod-section o is approximately cylindrical and preferably of a lengthrequal to that of the socket 4", said socket forming a guide wherein said rod-section may freely rotate about its axis and also travel freely in a vertical direction. Near itsv upper and lower extremities said rodsection 0 has the circumferential grooves t1 and o, respectively, adapted to receive the inwardly-projecting extremity of the abovedescribed pin 8. \Vhen said pin .9 is in-engagement with either one of said grooves u or o, the vertical travel of the rod'section 0 is prevented. In order, however, to render it possible for said rod-section 0 to be moved vertically, a portion of said rodsection is cut away, leaving the preferably plane surface 10 extending from one to the other of said grooves and constituting a slideway for receiving said pin s. The parts are so designed that when said pin 8 is in engagement with either of said grooves the section 0 may rotate, but is prevented from moving vertically, and when said pinis in conjunction with the said surface w said section 0 may travel vertically, but is prevented from rotating upon its axis.

The pins 00 as are set within the grooves u and r, so as to engage the inner portion of the pin 8 and form a stop, whereby the section 0 is prevented from making a complete revolution.

The chief purpose in constructing the controlling-rod in two sections and providing a ball-and-socket or a conical joint at the junction is to permit the independent rotation of said parts and at the same time enable one of said parts to transmit motion to the other of said parts in a lengthwise direction.

, In operation when the controlling-rod is in its highest position, as shown in Fig. 4, the section 0 is prevented from further rising by means of the pin .9, which abuts against the shoulder formed by the groove '1) at the lower extremity of said upper section. Under this condition the rod-section z'and pinj are held aloft and the leaves f f of the retaining-rod are folded together. When it is desired to spread said leaves, the rod-section 0 is rotated until the slideway w thereon comes opposite to the pin 5, at which time the entire controlling-rod is free to be moved downward by the operator against the force of the spring 12.

When said controlling-rod has reached the lower extremity of its travel, so that the conical lower portion 19 of the section 0 becomes seated in the portion q of the thimble r, the groove u comes opposite to the pin 3. The

rotation of said section 0 causes said groove u to become engaged by said pin, thereby preventing the travel of said controlling-rod and causing the leaves of the retaining-rod to remain in a spread condition.

My present invention is not particularly concerned with the construction of the retaining-rod, for folding rods of various types may be used. For example, my present operating device may be appliedv to a folding rod which is not hinged along the edges thereof, but at the'extremities merely. This latter form of retaining-rod is shown in Figs. 10 and 11, and, referring to said figures, y y represent the leaves, which have at the extremities of their adjacent edges the longitudinally-projecting and preferably cylindrical trunnions z z. Said trunnions are adapted to bear in the front and rear walls of the receptacle and operate to hinge said leavestogether. The links h h are in this alternative form shown as being pivotally connected directly to said leaves y y; but it is obvious that the connection may be made through the medium of arms fixed to said leaves y 3/ after the manner shown in connection with the previously described form of retaining-rod. The operation of this alternative form of rod is similar to the operation of the first-described form, the depressing of the controlling-rod causing the spreading of the leaves 3 y and the rising of said controlling-rod permitting the closing or folding thereof.

It is evidently not essential that a spring be employed to raise the vertical controllingrod, for the same may be raised by hand. In this latter case a positively-connected swiveljoint of any ordinary pattern would be substituted for the cup-joint shown in the drawlngs.

Other variations of construction will present themselves to those skilled in the art, and I do not limit myself to the precise arrangement and construction herein shown.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a card-receptacle, a plurality of members extending in the same direction and having substantially contiguous adjacent edges, said members constituting a folding retaining-rod; in combination with a linkwork connected to said members for operating the same and a vertical reciprocating rod connected to said linkwork for operating the same.

2. In a card-receptacle having a folding re= taining-rod, the combination of links connected to the leaves of said rod, a reciprocatory member connected to said links for operating said folding rod, and means for detainin g said reciprocatory member at different operating the same, a spring operating upon said reciprocatory member for moving the same in one direction, and means for retaining said reciprocatory member against the force of said spring.

4. In a card-receptacle having a folding retaining-rod, the combination of links connected to the leaves of said folding rod, a controlling-rod section connected to said links for operating the same, a spring acting upon said controlling-rod section to force the same in an upward direction to fold said rod, an upper controlling-rod section adapted to force said lower rod-section in a direction against the force of said spring, a pin for engaging said upper rod-section to detain the same and means upon said upper rod-section for engagement with said pin, to prevent the motion of said rod in a vertical direction.

5. In a card-receptacle,a circumferentiallygrooved upper rod-section, a lower rod-section, said upper and lower sections comprising a vertically-movable controlling-rod, a folding retaining-rod, the leaves whereof are connected to and operated by the lower section of said controlling-rod, a detaining-pin secured to said receptacle and adapted to engage the circumferentially-grooved upper section of said controlling-rod, and connections between said upper and lower sections of said controlling-rod, whereby said upper section is revoluble independently of said lower section.

6. In a card-receptacle a lower and an upper controlling-rod section connected by a ball-andsocket or similar joint, said sections constituting a vertically-arranged controlling-rod and the upper section being provided with a pair of circumferential grooves, a spring acting upon the lower rod-section to force the same in an upward position, a pin fixed in said receptacle for engaging said circumferential grooves in the upper section of said controlling-rod, said upper section having a slideway connecting the circumferential grooves therein, a folding retaining-rod, and connections between the leaves of said rod and said lower controlling-rod section for operating said folding retaining-rod.

7. In a card-receptacle, a socket or thimble secured in the front wall of the receptacle, a controlling-rod, the upper section whereof is provided with a milled head and circumferential grooves connected by a slideway, said upper section traveling within said socket or thimble, a pin fixed in said front wall and adapted to enter the circumferential grooves in said upper section for preventing the vertical travel of the latter, the lower section of said controlling-rod being connected to said upper section by a cup-joint; a spring operat ing upon said lower section to force the same in an upward direction, a pin connected to said lower section, a slot in said front wall for accommodating the motion of said pin, links pivotally attached to said pin, and afolding retaining-rod connected to and operated by said links.

ROGER A. SIMONSON. Witnesses:

CHARLES L. HERRICK, S. WOLF. 

